Michael Drake, president of the University of California, has announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year.
Dr. Drake became the 21st president of the University of California in July 2020 and was immediately tasked with guiding the university system through the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of his five year tenure, his leadership has been instrumental in securing state funding, advancing access to higher education for California residents, enhancing the university’s educational and research capabilities, and expanding California’s health care system.
Before assuming the University of California presidency, Dr. Drake served as president of Ohio State University for six years. Prior to his first presidential appointment, he spent over three decades with the University of California system, serving in several academic and administrative roles. His career began has a faculty member with the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, where he was ultimately appointed as the Steven P. Shearing Professor of Ophthalmology and senior associate dean of the medical school. He later spent five years as vice president for health affairs for the university system, followed by nine years as chancellor of the University of California Irvine.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as president of the University of California these past several years, and I am immensely proud of what the UC community has accomplished,” said Dr. Drake. “At every turn, I have sought to listen to those I served, to uphold our shared UC values, and to do all I could to leave this institution in better shape than it was before. I’m proud to see the University continuing to make a positive impact on the lives of countless Californians through research, teaching, and public service.”
Dr. Drake holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco.
